Chapter 299

Assassinating five thousand targets at once was a challenge even for "Dark Moon Tower," an established assassin organization.

This tested not only the assassins' strength but also the organization's coordination, intelligence accuracy, and operational precision.

Similarly, such an opportunity was extremely rare.

For this reason, "Dark Moon Tower" voluntarily offered Chen Mu a substantial discount on the final bounty.

Chen Mu did not refuse, directly handing over to them the detailed roster he had obtained from Wang Haocheng.

He had only one demand.

All names on the roster must be eliminated within a single night, leaving no survivors, avoiding any alarm.

Upon receiving the order, "Dark Moon Tower's" branch in Yazhou immediately sprang into high-speed operation.

Hundreds of assassins, receiving orders from all directions, flowed like silent streams through the dark night, converging toward Santan Prefecture.

Under unified command, they precisely dispersed to the four prefectures at the core of the Money Gang's power: Santan, Sandong, Sanshui, and Sanlin.

An invisible net of death, concealed by the night, was quietly cast.

……

Night, Sanshui Prefecture, Mushui County.

The moonlight was hazy; most lanterns in the county had been extinguished, leaving only the rhythmic beat of the night watchman's wooden clapper echoing through the empty streets.

Suddenly, a chaotic clamor of footsteps and boisterous shouts shattered the silence.

Led by the burly, broad-faced He He Laosi, over a dozen Money Gang members, wielding steel blades and clubs, violently kicked open the gate of the Huang family estate.

"If you don't want to die, get the hell on your knees!"

One of He He Laosi's men swung his steel blade, barking orders at the maids and servants rushing out in response.

The estate erupted into chaos—maids screamed, servants scrambled in panic.

Huang the Elder, clad in his nightgown with disheveled hair, scrambled out, and upon seeing He He Laosi, immediately plastered on a servile smile, bowing deeply.

"Fourth Master! Fourth Master, please calm down! What have I done to offend you? Please tell me—I'll make amends, I'll make amends!"

He He Laosi tilted his chin upward, gazing at the dark night sky, speaking with casual indifference, "You didn't offend me—your precious son did. He insulted me at a tavern. How much money do you think it takes to make up for the damage to my reputation?"

Hearing this, Huang the Elder exhaled in relief—so long as it wasn't something worse.

He quickly bowed and apologized, "Yes, yes, my son is ignorant, he offended Fourth Master—he deserves punishment, he deserves punishment!"

Saying this, he fished out several silver notes from his robe and offered them with both hands, "A small token for Fourth Master and the brothers—just for tea, nothing more."

He He Laosi took them, glanced at the notes by the torchlight held by his subordinate, sneered, and scoffed, "Eight hundred taels? Hah, so my reputation is worth only eight hundred taels?"

"Mistake! Mistake!" Huang the Elder's forehead broke into sweat; he hastily pulled out more silver notes from his sleeve and added them.

He He Laosi counted the total, still wearing a mocking expression, saying nothing.

Seeing this, Huang the Elder cursed inwardly but dared not show it, forcing another smile, "Fourth Master, wait a moment—I've got some savings inside, I'll get them, I'll get them!"

He bowed repeatedly and sprinted back inside.

Moments later, he rushed out holding a thicker stack of silver notes, carefully offering them to He He Laosi.

This time, He He Laosi counted them carefully, and only then did a hint of satisfaction appear on his face; he tucked the notes into his robe and patted Huang the Elder on the shoulder.

"Hmm, that's better. Alright, brothers, let's go!"

With a wave of his hand, he led his smug subordinates away, strutting out of the Huang estate.

Huang the Elder ran after them all the way to the gate, bowing repeatedly toward their retreating backs.

"Fourth Master, take care, everyone, goodbye…"

Only when their figures vanished around the street corner did he straighten up and turn back inside.

The moment he shut the gate, the forced smile vanished, replaced by deep exhaustion and helplessness.

Ten thousand taels!

All because his son had carelessly uttered one phrase at a tavern—he had paid out ten thousand taels of silver!

It was nearly half a year's income.

"Father! I didn't insult him—I just said, 'He He Laosi is too ruthless'…" Huang the Elder's son finally dared to approach, face flushed with indignation.

"Enough!"

Huang the Elder wearily raised his hand to cut him off, sighing, "Let this end here. Don't speak carelessly outside from now on…"

"Ah!"

Before he finished speaking, a piercing scream erupted from a nearby alley, shattering the night's stillness.

Huang the Elder and his son trembled violently, faces turning ashen.

"Quick! Lock the gate! Everyone back inside—no one steps out!" Huang the Elder's voice shook as dread surged through him.

……

In a dark alley three hundred meters from the Huang estate.

He He Laosi and his men, just moments ago triumphant from extortion, met their doom.

Two shadowy black figures appeared from nowhere, their cold short blades slicing lethal glimmers under the moonlight.

Screams rose one after another; He He Laosi's men fell almost within breaths, crimson blossoms bursting from throats and hearts.

"Who are you? I'm with the Money Gang! If you lay a hand on us, the Boss won't let you live!"

He He Laosi, at Postnatal Seventh Layer, was both terrified and furious—he swung his blade desperately while roaring in bluster, trying to scare them off with the Money Gang's name.

Unfortunately, the two black-clad assassins ignored him completely; their eyes were as cold as ice, their movements eerie and swift, perfectly synchronized.

Though their cultivation levels seemed only around Postnatal Sixth Layer, their mastery of killing techniques and icy demeanor gave them absolute dominance.

Blade flashes, blood sprayed.

He He Laosi fought with all his strength, roaring continuously, yet lasted less than ten exchanges.

"Pshhh!"

A short dagger slipped soundlessly into his blind spot, piercing straight through his heart.

He He Laosi's forward motion froze abruptly. He looked down, disbelieving, at the bloodied dagger tip protruding from his chest. He opened his mouth but emitted no sound; the ferocity in his eyes swiftly faded to ash, his body slumped limply to the ground, eyes wide and unclosed.

The two black-clad men swiftly checked the scene, confirmed no survivors, then vanished into the darkness as silently as they had come.

In the alley, only a dozen still-warm corpses remained, and the air thickened with the heavy stench of blood.